A One Side Love orNot?
by Sayra
Summary: Judy begins to have strong feelings for a certain fox. After the Gazelle concert ends, Nick asks Judy if she wants to go get something to eat at a restaurant that he knows is open at dawn. In the restaurant, Judy begins to tell a story, so she can tell Nick what she feels without being directly.


The silence fell off over the whole room. The earlier excitement of the mammals gave away to an inexplicable calm. The voices that interspersed with the leading voice of the loudspeakers stopped as soon as the calm, romantic and straightforward melody began to play. Instead of euphoric jumps, paws on the chest, eyes closed, paws interlaced in each other and ears sharpened, they listened attentively to the song that comes out of the muzzle of the mammal that sat in a chair in the middle of the stage. The dancers had stopped the eccentric choreographies, giving away to a softer choreography. Before this melody, a particular mammal focused on the words that were uttered. Her eyes were tightly closed. Her small paws were against her chest beside her heart. Her ears fluttering earlier times were now down. In her mind, a particular mammal filled her thoughts and her ... _feelings_. So many years ago, and she had finally fallen in love. She had not felt that way in a long time. Or rather, she had never felt that way before. Judy had already dated some rabbits in the village, but she had always known that her love for them was nothing more than an intellectual thing. The truth is, she really had never really fallen in love. Her only passion was her work. Being a police officer was what she loved the most in the world ... or so she thought until finally, her heart said ' _enough'_ and gave way to a true romance.

Lost in her thoughts, Judy didn't realize that the concert was over, until a friendly paw rested on her shoulder, making her come back to reality. Gazelle had given a big farewell to the public, and now the mammals were beginning to leave the compound.

"What earth do you see in your thoughts, Carrots?" Nick said, teasing her.

"One where dreams come true." She was sincere. But her voice was a little disappointed, and her violet eyes were not against the emerald green, but the mammals that left the room.

Nick did not answer back, keeping silent. For a few days, he had noticed her strange behavior. Nothing that worried him, but that stirred him a little.

"What do you think if we're going to get something to eat?" Cutting off such thoughts, Nick broke the little tension that had felled on them.

"Sounds good to me," Judy replied.

Letting the crowd dispersed a little when the way was clearer, Nick caught the attention of his friend, motioning to follow him closely to the restaurant he knew and knew that would be open at that time like that. After all, it was one o'clock in the morning, and both were grateful to have the next day free.

The journey to the restaurant took no more than thirty minutes, and it only lasted this time because the steps taken to the intended place were made very slowly. During the trajectory, the silence accompanied them. With a paw grasping her forearm, violet eyes roamed in the river to her left side, which flowed calmly. The reflection of the moon over the clear water, made a silent sigh come from her lips. From her side, Nick was staring at her, too thoughtful. There was something strange about his partner. Usually, a salty, talking, and the excited rabbit was the accompanying presence after Gazelle's concerts. But at that moment, he seemed to be walking beside a stranger. Several times, his lips parted as he tried to ask her what was going on, but he closed them at once, repenting.

 _'When, Judy? When did you start feeling that way? Did you know that his presence was stirring with you, but you never thought it would be so ardent, so passionate, so ...?'_

"We here!"

Nick's voice startled her. Facing a paw stretched out to the sign, Judy read the large, illuminated letters: _'Zootalian Pasta.'_ She turned her gaze to Nick's face that was smiling at her.

"Let's go in?" He said. Judy just nodded.

Nick did the house honors. He opened the door of the restaurant and was approached by the waitress, a sheep. After the pleasant nights, the waitress asked him if it was only them two, in which Nick replied with a simple yes. Picking up the menu behind the little counter, the sheep asked them to accompany her. They both followed her, and Judy noticed that even in that hour, the restaurant was full. They probably kept the house open because of the concert. An asset. With no vacant seats on the lower floor, the little waitress routed them through a spiral staircase of black wood with its railing to be gilded and well detailed, up to the top level. Like the lower floor, the superior was no less vague, giving the only option of having to dine on the balcony of the restaurant, where Judy did not care at all. The little sheep approached a table for two. Placing the menu on the varnished wood, she gave space to the customers and left of there, going to take the other from other clients. Nick did the house honors, and being a gentlemammal, he pulled the chair up so Judy could sit down. She thanked him after sitting down and turning the table; Nick also sat down.

"What do you want to eat?" Nick questioned her, taking the menu and opening it in front of him.

"Anything."

The fox looked at her through the menu and turned his attention back to what he would choose to please them both. At that moment, violet eyes appreciated the landscape on her right side. Her chin resting on her clawed paw. The river that had accompanied her on the way to the restaurant, seen from above was a breath breaking. The reflection of the moon over the crystalline water that flowed gently trapped her back in her thoughts.

 _'You have to tell him, Judy. You must tell Nick how you feel about him. That you want him more than a simple partner and friend. Tell him that you love him.'_

Her mind insisted that she take the action. Actions that were not easy to be manifested. After all, she had never been the first to declare herself. Although she had enjoyed the feeling of being loved otherwise, without being like family, she had never been in the situation of the old boyfriends. Now, there, with that strong feeling and butterflies in her belly, nervousness speaking louder and telling her feelings to the fox that was in front of her, becomes extremely difficult. And the reason for this was to lead with _rejection_. After all, although Judy knew how to read some of Nick's expressions, the task in that area was rather complicated.

"Carrots, you're making me want to visit your imaginary planet." Nick moaned softly. Her attention returned to the fox in front of her, who had closed the menu and placed beside him. "Do you want to explain to me what's so interesting there?" Judy could not help but laugh.

"You really want to know, Slick?"

"I liked to." He shrugged. "After all, from a few days to now, you've been very focused on your new journey."

"I see you are very observant, my friend."

"When you're standing next to a mammal for a year, almost 24 hours a day, I think it's natural, Sweetheart." On his muzzle, his smirk smile reappeared.

Their conversation had been interrupted by the waitress. With a small block on one paw and a pen on the other, she asked her costumers if they had already chosen. They both nodded and began to describe what they wanted to have. Minutes later, the little waitress picked up the menu and turned her back to take the orders.

"So, Fluff, would you please tell me what story is so interesting on your imaginary planet?"

"Two mammals. Long-time companions and friends." Judy could invent and/or deviate the route of the story she would tell, but as the lack of courage to be so direct with her feelings, she decided to tell him what she feels in other words and wait that stupid fox would know. "Two wolves. She, a wolf of all white fur and a crystal clear blue eyes to break any breath. He, a whole black wolf with reddish-brown eyes, appreciated by all the females around him. Both policemammal. Athila, the male wolf, was a secret agent. She, Alya, a normal cop. The two met in the department. Athila had been working there for two years from now. Alya just arrived. In the meeting room, Athila decided to be the one to greet the new recruits and give an encouraging speech. There, the entrance of the wolf, murmurs of awe, was uttered by the males, and compliments were whispered by the females. Accustomed to such an entry, he ignored such comments and began to speak. Alya did not open her muzzle, merely admiring the wolf in front of her, in silence." Judy had been interrupted by the arrival of the dinner. After the waitress landed the things on the table, she left them again alone. Judy brought a fork to her mouth, munching on her food, and went back to the story. Even she was amazed at how she described it since she had never had a profile for such a thing. "At various points during the speech, his eyes met her. There, for some reason, he smiled at her, but then he turned his attention back to the other recruits in the room. With each look and smile, Alya's heart was beating hard and she knew full well why. It seemed stupid and she had never experienced such a thing before, but she knew she had just fallen in love." Judy paused and brought another fork to her mouth. Her eyes met Nick's, who stared at her confused but intent on the story.

"I do not believe in love at first sight," he muttered under his teeth.

"Me neither, but I think it's beautiful." Judy contradicted him.

"Go on," he asked.

"The next few days went smoothly. Alya trained to be a great cop and grabbed every possible case. She wanted to show that she was good at what she was doing." One more pause and Judy looked at Nick again. There, she was already starting to put on a bit of herself and hoped Nick would begin to notice. The fox in front of her, now drank some of the wine from the glass, and his gaze was fixed on the river beside him. In a little sigh, Judy knew he should have known. "Alya rarely saw Athila. When she could see him, it was in the lobby or small meetings he did. Although she felt sad, she could see him in little moment at work and appreciated every second." Judy laid her fork on her plate and took the glass. She brought it to her lips and drank some of the orange liquid. She did not set down the glass again but focused her attention on the reflection of the moon in the river. "The months have passed. Alya was promoted to sergeant and awarded by Athila. At that moment, she needed a partner at her side, and though about Athila. Although he was a secret agent, when he arrived at the department, he was nothing more than a simple police officer first. When the chief named who Alya's possible partner could be, Athila came forward and said that he, himself, wanted to be her partner. Obviously, that generated a little discussion from the chief. Because, as a secret agent, it was out of the question to lose an excellent agent to patrol the streets. Athila calmed the chief, indicating that it would be for a short time period and that if there was an urgent mission, he would come foward, but would return to patrol the streets with Alya again."

"Obviously, from the first moment, he already liked her." Nick interfered without looking at his friend. He drank some more of the wine and continued his fixed attention where it was initially.

"Months gave way to a year, and both remained friends and companions. Alya had no courage to say what she felt for Athila. The nerves spoke louder, but the rejection was the one that kept a foot behind. Moreover, the chief forbade any further feelings in the work, justifying that would only give problems, and the productivity of the performance could fall."

"What foolishness!" Again, Nick drank the rest of the wine and refilled the glass. Judy glanced at him, then turned her attention back to the river.

"But one day, at a concert, after it was over, Athila invited her to dinner." Now, Judy had Nick's attention. She closed her eyes, set the glass down, and stared at him. "At dinner, they ate quietly, talking about the adventures they had in their daily lives and laughing at dry jokes. In the desert, and after a little silence, Alya appreciated the landscape, took a deep breath and gained the strength to say what she felt. She knew she could be rejected, but she could not live any more hidden in her own feelings." Judy set her elbows on the table. She pawed her paws together. She rested her chin on them and, after a long sigh, her violet eyes stared at the emerald green eyes that gazed at her intently. "I love you, Athila."

Those words sweated in Nick's ears the opposite. He could have _sworn_ he'd heard _'I love you Nick'_ instead of _'Athila.'_ With a quick heart, he thanked for his fur to be red as he felt himself burning.

"And the end. Athila did not reject her, and they began a romantic story, ending up in marriage and children. As they say, _'Until death do us part.'_ " Judy sat up in her chair and picked up the glass again, drinking some of her juice. "And that's the planet I'm absorbing these days, Slick. Now that I realize it, I'd be good to write a story." She laughed at the joke itself. "So, Mr. Nicholas Wilde, what do you think?"

"I love you too, Judy."

At such words, the glass in her paws almost fell to the ground. Two violet eyes wide open, goes against a fox with the paws on his own muzzle and eyes fixed on nothingness.

"What did you say, Nick?"

Her whole body trembled. Her heart wanted to come out of her chest, and her ears were burning so red they were. Had she heard correctly? Or was her imagination playing tricks on her?

Without any warning, Nick got up from his chair and walked over to Judy. There, he knelt down and picked up her paws.

"I love you, Judith Hopps." He repeated the word with a smile.

And without any delay, Nick brought a paw to Judy's face and raised his muzzle to the level of her muzzle. His lips touched hers in a soft kiss to the eyes of others.

"You idiot bunny. It was not necessarily a story to tell me how you feel," he said as he pulled away from her. Tears of happiness and relief began to form in her eyes until they began to drain, and Judy brought her paws to her cheeks to start cleaning them.

"But ... the fear of ... rejection ..." she began to speak between sobs.

"Quieted." Nick took one of his paws to her face and wiped her tears away. "It's a reality, but it's over." He kissed her again more passionately, and Judy returned the kiss.

When she broke it, she hugged him tightly, to which he returned the embrace and whispered in his ear.

"I love you, Nicholas Wilde."

 _ **End.**_


End file.
